Koronovios – Thessaloniki: Sewage at a new high viral load

New higher levels are exceeded daily by the concentration of viral load in the municipal waste of Thessaloniki, based on daily measurements in the context of research conducted by the Sewage Epidemiology Team of AUTh with EYATH, in collaboration with the Region of Central Macedonia and within the National Network of EODY.

As shown in the diagrams presented by the RES-EIA (attached), the prices of the viral load are now approaching the highest values ​​of the strong wave of the pandemic of last November.

Specifically, in the samples taken daily at the entrance of the Thessaloniki Wastewater Treatment Plant, regarding the rationalized values ​​of relative secretion of viral load, the average value of the two most recent measurements, ie Monday 08/11 and Tuesday 09/11, are:

-Increased (+ 17%) in relation to the average value of the two immediately preceding measurements, Saturday 06/11 and Sunday 07/11.

-Specially increased (+ 49%) compared to the average price of the previous Monday 01/11 and Tuesday 02/11.

“The spread of the virus in the community has now reached a level where it is not expected to stop the growth trend. We see it in the sewage, as can be seen from the increase in the positivity of the diagnostic tests and from the admissions to the hospitals of the city. “Even every small increase from day to day, at this level of viral load prices corresponds to many new infections”, said to APE-MPE the rector of AUTh and scientifically responsible for the research project, Professor Nikos Papaioannou.

“Vaccinated people at high risk of exposure to the virus”

Asked about the current course of the pandemic in relation to the corresponding one last November, Mr. Papaioannou replied that “it is very important for the correct assessment of the epidemiological picture, that in people who secrete a viral load that we measure in sewage, as well as in confirmed cases, includes a significant number of vaccinated citizens, who are not at risk of serious illness “, but,” clearly our unvaccinated fellow citizens in Thessaloniki are currently at high risk of exposure to the virus and those of them belonging to vulnerable groups, immediate risk of serious illness. “

The coronavirus assessment methodology in municipal waste, developed by the AUTh team, streamlines the measurements of the virus genome concentration based on 24 environmental factors, which may alter the results of the measurements.